Clippers' early surge enough to stymie STA

DURHAM — Two days after getting knocked down a peg, the Portsmouth High School girls basketball did the knocking around.

Guard Phoebe Collins and forward Christina Jones scored 12 points each, and the Clippers evened their record at 1-1 in the Bobcat Invitational Basketball Tournament with a 53-45 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday.

The tone was set during a strong first quarter that saw Collins knock down three shots and her team build a 16-4 lead. The margin never got much bigger, but it didn’t get a whole lot smaller, either.

“I thought we had a lot of intensity,” said senior center Alicia Brown, who added 10 points and her customary defensive presence. “It was a lot better than (Wednesday).”

In Wednesday’s 45-32 loss to Hanover in their tournament opener, the Clippers fell behind early, falling behind by eight at halftime before whittling that gap down to one. This time, they were the ones setting the pace.

“I liked the way we started the ballgame,” said Portsmouth coach Danny Parr. “(Against) Hanover, we played like it was a Christmas tournament. Today, the kids were focused and played hard early.”

Senior forward Meaghan Flynn (15 points) and sophomore guard Mariah Desmarais led the Saints, who are back in action today against Hanover. With a win, the Marauders would earn a spot in Sunday’s tournament championship game.

In the first half, the Clippers combined their usual active play on the defensive end with some good-looking offensive possessions. Tighe Loch drained a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to make it 21-9, and after Collins hit a jumper and Hannah Stevens scored in transition, it was 29-13.

With a 43-28 lead heading to the fourth, Parr’s intention was to give his starters the rest of the day off and work in some other players, depth development being right at the top of his holiday wish list.

But with Flynn taking over inside, and her team’s pressing defense forcing turnovers, the Saints chipped away at the deficit. When Desmarais hit a 3-pointer from the right wing it was 45-37, prompting Parr to call a time-out with four minutes left and begin working his best players back in.

“I hated to do that,” said Parr. “But at the same time, it’s a team game and you’ve got to give them a chance.”

He got an immediate return when forward Devon Parker blocked a shot. Then, Jones made a steal and eventually converted at the other end, drawing a foul for the three-point play that made it 48-37.

Desmarais hit another three, but Brown got free inside for back-to-back hoops to end the late-arriving drama.

“They didn’t quit, which was real good,” said Saints coach Sabrina Payeur, whose club (2-2 in Division II) is already knocking on the door of last year’s win total after going 3-15. “We talk about no matter how many points we’re down, we’re not going to quit. That was a nice little confidence-booster. They really thought they could get it done.”

“They didn’t stop fighting,” credited Brown.

The Clippers (4-1 in Division II) have one more game here Sunday before turning their attention back to league play. They host Coe-Brown in their next game that counts next Friday night.

Their coach knows they can defend and score in spurts. The free-throw shooting was even a pleasant addition Friday – they made their first 10 before Jones missed the back end of a 1-and-1 late, and finished 10-of-11.

The jury’s still out on their overall offensive consistency and depth. That’s what this week is for.

“We’re trying very hard to develop more kids off the bench,” said Parr. “We want to have that at the end.”